Im newly a vegetarian, so I'm having to rethink this years food supply. Any suggestions as far as easy, simple, sustaining foods for the playa. To be honest cooking is something I try to avoid while I'm burning, so I'm looking for alternatives that will keep me up and going but that aren't anything too intense to have to deal with. Thanks

Try a Fiesta night. Tortillas keep well. Fry em up with veg oil, smear on some canned refried beans, some salsa from a jar, maybe a handfull from a bag of shreaded lettuce from the icebox. If you use milk products, maybe a little shreaded cheeze. Guacamole', peppers, tomatoes,... man I want tacos now...Maybe some spanish rice, a little sangria...Ole'

My first year on the playa I survived on delicious ham sandwiches . . . protein, fat, salt . . . it was goodness. By the time I went out the second year I had decided eating mamals and birds was not something I could ethically do any longer.

I was surprised at how differently my body responded to the environment. My normal protein choices: portabella, beans, veggie proteins, etc. etc. just didn't cut it. I found myself craving foods that I generally abhor . . . like bacon, beef jerkey, grilled chicken breast, even a chicken sausage deal or other that was offered to me. I think that this is the result of two necessities: Salt and Protein. I don't know if I'm alone in this or not, but when I caved to those temptations I felt a lot better . . . my energy was better, and that made me feel overall better.

My advice is that you go prepared for your body to feel different than in years past because of this change and decide ahead of time if you're going to cave to those urges if they arise. (battling myself was the worst part).

My favorites though remain scrambled eggs on mornings I could manage it (teflon in good working order makes clean-up easy), smoked salmon, protein drinks (but not the overly processed type -- they will either work for you or make you feel awful). Lots of nuts, tempeh or seitan if you've come by a preparation method you like (there are some good recipes out there, try recipe zaar, or "Vegan with a Vengeance" has some good tofu preparation).

It's heat-and-serve Indian vegetarian curry in a foil bag. Just put the bag in boiling water to heat, and then eat. They have a variety of flavors. I find them at my local health-food style grocery store. Trader Joes sells the same thing under another name. They are surprisingly tasty. Vacuum packed, so no need to keep refrigerated.

you can bring some perishables - just plan to use them up in the first couple of days. a nice salad is a good way to ground yourself after a day of setting up camp.

--meatless jerky (there are a few brands -soy, seitan and tempeh. either try them out first, or get a few in case you don't like certain flavors. you can always give away the stuff you don't fancy.) i haven't found any l like, but i keep thinking maybe it will taste better on the playa.

--nachos. I crave salty crunchy fatty things, and this year i'm making dashboard nachos with the tiny cans of sliced peppers, sliced jalapenos, sliced olives, instant refried beans, tortilla chips, salsa, and cheese (the cheese will keep for 4 days in my cooler). i'll make up a big batch (one bag of chips) and share it with the rest of the camp. cooks on dashboard on an aluminum-foil covered piece of cardboard.

--canned soup - minestrone, with some crackers. its good heated up or not. (heat on the dashboard...)

--instant hummus and instant tabouli (you can bring a small can of diced tomatoes, or just one real tomato), with crackers and some nice olives.

--bagged popcorn. lots of camps show movies... but they never seem to have popcorn.

--i've learned to limit my intake of TastyBites. sometimes they don't seem to agree with me. (bad combo of heat, spice, and high-salt, high-fat foods and then add drugs and alcohol...). Last year I brought three and ate 1-1/2. This year I'm bringing one packet, and some pre-cooked rice (Trader Joes). I'll heat both by putting them on the dashboard of my car. (I'm all about dashboard cooking this year!)

--Clifbars -- I save these for emergency rations. i stuff one in the bottom of my camelbak in case i'm in the middle of deep playa and get hungry. i don't like to eat them at camp -- too gummy. you have to be really hungry to eat one in the heat. they get soft. (i go through about 4/week at home.)

CornStar wrote:Im newly a vegetarian, so I'm having to rethink this years food supply. Any suggestions as far as easy, simple, sustaining foods for the playa. To be honest cooking is something I try to avoid while I'm burning, so I'm looking for alternatives that will keep me up and going but that aren't anything too intense to have to deal with. Thanks

I'd like to add that it is important to take B12 vitamins on or off the playa as a vegetarian. There are plenty of fruits and vegetables that are hearty enough to take to the playa as long as you keep them out of the sun. I always work in apples, oranges, presliced fruit and don't forget to eat your beans!

Go to their website and sign up for their newsletter. For years they have a sale right about now and you can get cases of the stuff. The variety for vegetarian is vast, a little less broad for vegan.

No one can resist the Bombay Potatoes. The lentil things are good, too. The Thai stuff ain't bad. Not very good are any of the rice things, they taste 100 years old...

I had people camping with me who had vast reserves of frozen meats and fish who beg me for Tasty Bites as there are times they just don't want to take the time away from the playa. And, it seems everyone agrees a body needs much less food out there than one thinks.

It's cool that so many people love putting great efforts into making fantastic meals, but me, I just want it to be really tasty, full of calories, quick and little clean-up.

This is the total extent of what I take, and I never want for anything else:

That's pretty much what I eat all week. Normally, I promise you, I eat more than 99% of the boards (I'm an ultrarunner so after a 50 mile run, I'll devour everything vegetarian in sight!), but I lose my appetite so much food is somewhat of an afterthought. I don't think abt protein as much as I think of fruit and veggies...so I got some Trader Joe's applesauce, peach slices in jars -- those were great. I brought bags of baby carrots as well -- yum!

I'm looking forward to my first burn this year, and since I've always been a vegetarian I don't have to worry about craving dead things once I get there. I'm chiming in to note that some of the powdered meal replacements these days are pretty good; I really like Vega, especially in a soy milk or that quasi-soy milk with coconut in it. My camp managed to borrow a generator from someone better financially endowed than us, so we'll actually have a blender to make it in, but I've done it in a shaker-cup or a jar with a marble in it, and it works pretty well. remember to take the marble out before you drink it, obviously.

stonewall's jerquee - delicious veggie jerky bites that satisfy my salty protein hunger attacks. i always wish i had brought more. they also make a great gift, as they come in little compact packages.

wild rice pilaf - a camping meal packet (just add hot water - i can't remember the brand) that is soooo good. i usually grab these at rei. there are tons of other veggie meal package choices that are great such as mac n cheese or pad thai.

Pickles, I loves me a vinagery pickle. About the only way I can stand a tofu dog is with pickle and lots of mustard.

Vegetarian vegetable soup is fine, I usually load it with pepper or Ranchero Cooking Sauce. I like mild picante sauce on my bean burritos.

I'm not a vegetarian, but food is food even if it ain't meat. When I was a kid, meat was expensive so we often did not have it. Pancakes for dinner, biscuits and sorgum in the lunch pail, sweet corn and watermelon picnics. And beans, tons of pinto beans with catsup, and thin bean soup with cornbread and greens. My mom was great at streaching a buck.